


biting down

by orphan_account



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Gen, Spoilers 02x22
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-04 02:29:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10981476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Alex doesn't just watch as Kara flies up into the night.





	biting down

“What do you need right now?”  


Kara dips her head down, shoulders raising and falling with such a weight, that oh, she wishes she could take for her sister. “I,” Kara shakes her head, runs a jerky hand through it that Alex takes, tugs her sister closer, “I don’t know Alex. I don’t-”

Kara’s arms around her aren’t as tight as she thought they’d be. Her hands hang off her back as Kara presses her face into her shoulder. “I’m so proud of you,” she repeats firmly into Kara’s hair, says it again when Kara turns her head away. Runs a hand down Kara’s back and settles it there when Kara’s arms finally wrap around her. 

(It’s still so, so loose.

A barely there pressure. As present as Kara’s stare.

Something about it chilling her down to her bones.)

“You know what else you did for me?” Kara shrugs against her, wiggles just away from meeting her eyes. “You ordered so much of- literally- the most unhealthiest food I’ve ever seen. Screw Maggie and her vegan,” she searches for the word, but oh, Kara’s got a hint of a smile and that’s enough to make her forget what she was trying to do, “ness?”  


There’s a snort behind her, and she grins despite herself. Looking over her shoulder to see Maggie watching them quietly, head tilted to the side and smiling softly at her. “So,” she says, turning her head back to Kara, “you’re going to rest and eat.” She tightens her grip on Kara, snatching fingers into her cape when she goes to pull away, “and we’ll deal with it as it comes, okay?”

“The city- people need my help.” Kara moves away from her this time, and when she looks up to the sky, fear bites at her fingertips, that Kara won’t come back down.  


(That this time, her sister won’t be back.

That loss after loss eats at someone in a way she can’t fix.)

“You’ll be more of a help when you’re not exhausted.” Maggie’s hand brushes hers as she steps closer to Kara. “You’ve done all you can for now. Take a break. Regroup,” she stresses, skimming a hand down Kara’s arm.  


Kara just stares at her hand, Maggie’s concerned look turning cautious as she draws away. The worry builds in her chest, twisting her stomach until Kara- she’ll laugh at it later, she’s sure, because god, do her feet even touch the ground?- scoops Maggie up into a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Maggie meets her eyes over Kara’s shoulder, winks before pressing her cheek against Kara’s shoulder. When Kara places her back down and murmurs in her ear, Alex can’t help but cross her arms. She’s right here, and they’re whispering. Maggie pats a hand at Kara’s arm, aims a smile that oh, has her smiling stupidly and, “always, Kara.”

“Okay,” Kara says, nodding to herself, “okay.” She glances back up to the stars and doesn’t move, eyes searching across the sky.   


“Let’s go.” Alex nudges her forward, catching Kara’s hand when she stumbles forward.  


* * *

Kara willingly goes to the sunbed.

(That alone speaks volumes.

Kara fights and fights. Never pauses to take a breath. But now? There’s no fight, just Kara nodding when she starts leading them to it.

Just a quiet acceptance.)

She immediately unclips Kara’s cape, drops it in her lap and feels the tensions loosening in her chest when Kara gathers it in her hands.

That’s normal. That’s predictable. So is Kara patting around her neck for her necklace, but a look crosses over Kara’s face as her hands freeze, hanging in the air.

“What’s wrong?” She eases Kara’s hands away, looking around for the silver chain, but it’s not- she doesn’t see it. Alex stops. Almost doesn’t say anything, because Kara doesn’t need this, not this on top of everything else. “Kara, you’re necklace-”

“I gave it to him.”  


“You,” she drops down into the stool. Wheels it closer and whispers, “your mother’s-”  


“Yes.” There’s a long minute of silence. She can’t process it quite right, because she’s never seen Kara without it. 

(Other than Myriad.

When Kara pressed it into her hands and _keep it safe for me_?

Other than when her sister thought she was going to die and strode through the doors with her chin high.

And quiet acceptance.)

“I didn’t,” and oh, Kara’s crying now, eyes fixed pointedly on the ceiling. Eyes bright blue as tears slide down.   


“ _Kara_.” She thumbs away the tears, taking Kara’s hand and clasping it between both her own, bringing it close to her chest.   


“I didn’t want him to be alone.” Kara’s hand trembles in hers. Keeping one hand tightly around Kara’s, she reaches up with the other, slips her fingers through Kara’s hair. “It’s so dark and quiet and you feel so alone and I didn’t want that- not for anyone- so I just,” Kara opens up her hand, waves it, “gave it away.”  


“Oh Kara,” she swallows, past her throat constricting, past the _why?_  


“Is it bad if I- I wish I didn’t-” Kara stops, jaw clenching. Her voice no louder than a whisper, and oh, it shakes. “I didn’t want any of this to happen.” Her voice grows louder, and now, it’s pouring out of Kara. Words fast and choppy, words shifting into Kryptonian before Kara even realizes. “I didn’t want this. Rhea or the city getting- I tried so hard.” 

“I know.” She swipes away more tears with her knuckles, bending down to press a kiss against Kara’s temple. “You always do.”  


“No, no, you don’t understand- I tried. The pod landing and teaching and Mon-El.” Kara’s breaths are choppy, as fast as the pulse she can feel under her fingertips. _Slow down_ , she breathes, trying to get the panicked look out of Kara’s eyes. “I kept trying, and Alex,” Kara stares at her then, eyes bright and red and pleading, “I’m tired.”  


(She wonders how long this has been building. How long Kara’s pushed, pushed through it, pushed it down until it’s reached this level and the dam breaks. 

She tries not to wonder where she was as it all happened.)

“I didn’t want _this_.” Kara shuts her eyes. “But it did, and now, I-I don’t want to be alone.”  


Alex pushes to her feet, stands over Kara and shifts when Kara tries to turn away. Plants herself firmly in her vision. “Whatever you do or wish or _regret_ ,” she says, eyeing the way that brings on a new wave of tears, “I will always, always be proud of you.” She squeezes Kara’s hand. “I will always be here, no matter what, because you’re my sister and I love you.” She whispers, “so much.”

“I love you too.” Kara pulls her down, her back bending awkwardly to hug Kara. She lasts as long as she can, until the lights are burning at her arm, her hands. Kara blinks down, pushing her away gently, “Sorry.”  


“We haven’t done a great job of talking, huh?” Kara gives her a wobbly smile, one that breaks into a breathless, little sob when she holds Kara’s chin. “We’re going to fix it though, okay?” Kara nods, but Alex presses further. “We’ll talk about everything. This. Myriad. Everything. It all just kept being pushed back, but it’s not- we need to talk about it.”  


(Neither of them say the red kryptonite.

They don’t have to. Know it will the first covered.)

“We’ve always left it up in the air, but we can start scheduling sister nights. Make sure you get your weekly dose of stealing my food.”  


“I don’t steal your food.” Kara pouts, and oh, she almost hugs her again for trying at a joke right now. “You give it freely.”  


“Sometimes,” she admits, “but only because I love you.”  


“Maggie can come.”  


“Maybe sometimes, but you and I need some time-”  


“No,” Kara interrupts, pointing a finger behind her, “well, I mean, yeah. She can, but I meant- she’s there.”  


“What?” She glances over her shoulder. Maggie hesitates at the doorway, holding up a box of pizza and waves. “Oh, food, you mean,” Alex clarifies, grinning down at the sheepish smile she gets in return, “food is here.”  


“My name is Maggie, Danvers.” Maggie bumps playfully against her as she passes a box to Kara after she sits up. “So I was thinking for our days, we could start off by me teaching you how to play pool.”

Kara echoes, “Our days?”   


Maggie shrugs, picking at the cheese on her pizza with a disgusted look. “We can hang out if you want too. Just me and you. Just an idea.”

(She knows that look.

When Maggie is trying or excited but plays it off. As if she’s used to the disappointment.

Accepts it.)

“That’d,” Kara takes a too big bite, chewing thoughtfully on it, “that’d be nice.”  


Alex bites back the urge to take them both into a hug, because oh, the understanding smile Maggie shares with Kara, it’s warm and tender and Alex could stare at it for days.

( _I’ll be right here when you wake up_ , she promises when Kara starts drifting off.

She gets a fraction of a nod in response. Kara’s eyes wide and trusting, and Alex repeats it again as Kara falls asleep.

Knows it’s not acceptance that has Kara’s hand loosening in hers but faith.)


End file.
